Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku
Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku (東洋精機光学, meaning "oriental precision optics") was a Japanese camera maker of the 1950s.
The company made the Princeflex TLR, as indicated by advertisements dated September 1953 and September 1954,[1] and by the camera markings. It also made the Elbowflex TLR and Elbow Six folder, as indicated by an advertisement dated April 1955.[2] However the latter two cameras were advertised in September 1955 as made by Cosmo Camera Seisakusho.[3] It thus seems that Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku changed its name to Cosmo Camera Seisakusho in mid-1955. The name Cosmo was used until 1954 by Alfa Camera Seisakusho, maker of the Alfaflex and Cosmoflex. Cosmo Camera Seisakusho was perhaps the result of a merge between Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku and Alfa Camera Seisakusho.
The Easternflex, sometimes attributed to Tōyō Seiki (東洋精機), was certainly made by the company too, as well as the TSK shutter (see the discussion in the corresponding pages).
Tōyō Seiki Kōgaku may have been the same as Tōyō Kōki (東洋光機), which made the Elegaflex; and Tōyō Kōgaku (東洋光学) which made the Elizaflex.[4] One source says that it is the same as Toyo Seiko which made the Rolex 35 III but this might be a wrong guess.[5]
Notes
- ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 176–7.
- ↑ Advertisement reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, p. 121.
- ↑ Advertisements reproduced in Kokusan kamera no rekishi, pp. 121 and 136.
- ↑ These manufacturers are named by Kanno, p. 116; he does not speculate on their interrelationships.
- ↑ This page at Japan Family Camera.
Source and further reading
- Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) editorial staff. Shōwa 10–40nen kōkoku ni miru kokusan kamera no rekishi (昭和10–40年広告にみる国産カメラの歴史, Japanese camera history as seen in advertisements, 1935–1965). Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1994. ISBN 4-02-330312-7.
- Kanno Tsunetoshi (管野経敏). "A kara Z no kokusan niganrefu" (AからZの国産二眼レフ, Japanese TLRs from A to Z). In Miryoku saihakken: Nigan refu: Firumu kamera ha e no messēji (魅力再発見・二眼レフ：フィルムカメラ派へのメッセージ, Fascination rediscovery — TLRs: A message to film cameras). Tokyo: Shashinkogyo Syuppansha, 2006.
